I Will Try
by StillDreaming85
Summary: My ex-boyfriend came crashing back into my life after he got fed-up dealing with my crazy family's issues. Former Marine Cullen, turned P.I. says he is back to protect me, whether I like it or not. I guess that's how we ended up in bed together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I have wanted to write a PI kinda story for years. This story was inspired by the Rock Chick Series (which I've recently been rereading.) and Coldplay's Fix you. There is no update schedule to this story.

Big thanks to my ladies, Sherry, Paige, Tiffany & Cristina.

 _ **Chapter 1**_ \- _When you love someone, but it goes to waste._

"Edward's here," Alice said as she slid into the opposite side of the booth from me. We were at our favorite bar, Two Doors Down. It was a Friday night. I had just gotten off work. We were supposed to be here to relax and blow off some steam, but all thoughts of cutting loose went out the window as soon as Alice mentioned my ex's name.

"He's here?" I asked, panicking. My eyes instantly darted around the room, trying to find him. Not that I wanted to find him. I didn't want to _see_ him; seeing him hurt too much. It hurt to the point that I had spent most of the past year avoiding him.

Our split wasn't clean. In fact, I hadn't even seen it coming. Edward had completely blindsided me. One day we were happy and together and then the next thing I knew he was telling me that he couldn't do this anymore. It's not like I didn't understand. I admit I wasn't the easiest person to live with and my family, my family were um, complicated. My sister was one step away from a drug addiction and my father wasn't much better. He was an ex-cop, with a drinking problem. You see, I was the only one in my family who had their shit straight, which meant a lot of the time I was the one who had to sort out their problems. Edward didn't like that. Edward didn't like it to the point we argued about it more often than not. He wanted me to let them sort out their own problems, but I refused to because family was family, which meant that Edward often got dragged into their shit too.

Edward was an former marine. He owned his own security and investigation firm. So it wasn't like he wasn't equipped to deal with their problems, but I guess he just got fed up eating shit. I honestly don't blame him. I got it. I really did, and I don't blame him for walking away. When something toxic is draining you, you have to walk away. But just because I didn't blame him, didn't mean it hurt any less. You see, for me, Edward was 'The One'. We weren't perfect, but then no one ever really is. Edward was my light in a world full of darkness. When I was with him I felt like anything was possible. I imagined growing old with him, having our own children, the white picket fence. The whole dream, but then one day that light went out and I had been sitting in darkness ever since.

"He's over there, by the bar," Alice said, her voice piercing through my thoughts.

I gripped onto the table and took a deep breath as I battled with myself on whether I should look. I wanted to look. I wanted to see him. The memory of him was fading. I knew the image burned in my mind would be nothing compared to the real thing, but I also knew that looking at him would hurt. "Is he alone?" I asked hesitantly. I don't think I could handle seeing another woman in his arms, not that he didn't have a right to have moved on, of course he did. It had been a year. Most people would have moved on.

"He's not alone, but he's not with another woman," Alice said, reaching out and squeezing my hand. "I think it's one of his men. They are both dressed similarly." Thank God for Alice. I had only known her the short year since my breakup with Edward when I started working at my new job at the Black Firm. She worked in the coffee shop down the street from my office. We started talking one day while she was filling my order and our friendship had bloomed from there. Alice was exactly what I had needed. She was outgoing and fun to be around. She had been the one to pull me out of my pit of despair. Well, as far as I was willing to come out of it. She knew exactly what it was like to nurse a broken heart. I guess you could say that was what we bonded over. Although, she hadn't actually met Edward, she had been on enough Avoid Edward Missions that she was now an expert at helping me evade him. She never even questioned my need to do this which was one of the reasons I loved her.

"Do you want to go?" she asked, her face etched with concern. I hadn't even decided if I wanted to look at him yet, but she was probably right. We should leave before I dared to take a look. We should go to another bar and salvage our night. There was no way I could possibly relax here, knowing he was just across the bar, and the last thing I needed was to bump into him, especially when I was drinking.

"Let's go," I said, standing up and grabbing my purse. Alice followed my lead. She grabbed her purse and moving to my side. We left our Lynchburg Lemonade's on the table barely touched and headed towards the door. That is when all hell broke loose.

One second we were walking to the door through the busy bar and the next second we were pushed back as the crowd dispersed from the middle of the room. I could hear the sounds of struggling and when I looked over the shoulder of the man in front of me, I saw Edward. I didn't even have the time to think about how I felt about that because I saw he was struggling with some guy on the floor. He had the guy pushed face first against the floor. Edward's knee was in the guys back, holding him down as he pulled the guy's arms behind his back to cuff him.

Apparently there were a few people in the bar who were unhappy about this because they were shouting and pushing to get to Edward. I could see the back of a tall, muscular man, who was dressed like Edward. He was doing his best to push the angry crowd back as Edward pulled the guy, who was now cuffed, to his feet. But as Edward was doing this, one of the angry guys from the crowd got through. He moved toward Edward and swung his fist. I gasped, thinking he was going to catch Edward off guard and hurt him.

But that wasn't what happened. Edward dodged the guy's fist with ease and righted himself. The angry guy ended up punching the cuffed man instead. He hit the cuffed man square in the jaw, knocking him to the floor before he even realized what was happening or who he was hitting. I expected he was intoxicated.

While he was standing there dazed, Edward grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back, snarling something in his ear. It was about that time that the entire bar erupted into a fight. Arms were swinging left, right and center. People were pushing, either trying to get into the fight or get the hell out of there. It was utter chaos.

I reached for Alice's arm, about to tell her we had to get out of there, when an elbow connected with my face, knocking me clean off my feet. I fell to the floor, banging my head off the edge of a table. One minute I was lying dazed on the floor, staring at the madness in the room and then the next thing I knew I was being picked up bridal-style and carried out of the bar.

When we were safely outside, I was placed on my feet, against the bar wall, two worried green eyes were staring into my face. _Edward_. "Bella, are you okay?" he asked, lighting cupping my sore cheek.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but I couldn't find my voice. I couldn't even process what had happened. We were supposed to be having a relaxing Friday night out. It was supposed to be just Alice and me. He wasn't supposed to show. The bar wasn't supposed to erupt into chaos. None of this was supposed to happen.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly. "It wasn't supposed to go down like that. Had I known it would go down like that I would have never have done it with you in the bar." What? He knew I had been in the bar? How? I opened my mouth to speak again, but apparently that knock had done more damage to my head than I realized. I couldn't find my voice. "Are you okay?" he asked again, concerned. "You should really put some ice on your face. I saw that you hit your head too, is it bad?" he asked, not waiting for me to answer. He gently pushed my head forward and began looking at the back of my head, feeling for lumps. He saw I hit my head? How? How was that even possible from across the bar? "Come back to the office with me and I'll take care of it," he said, letting my head go and looking deep into my eyes.

"No," Alice said firmly from my side, snapping me from my daze. I hadn't even realized she was there. I had forgotten that anything else existed, other than him. "I got her," Alice said as she walked closer to me. She grabbed my arm, pulling me protectively to her and away from Edward.

I saw Edward's jaw tick as he looked between Alice and me, but he never said a word for a few minutes. When he finally did speak, he sighed and said, "You got her." He stepped away from the two of us and headed across the street to a parked black SUV. His man from the bar was behind the wheel. As soon as Edward got inside, the SUV took off, and he was gone.

Alice and I caught a cab to my apartment after that. I had told that she didn't need to come home with me, but she had insisted that she didn't want to leave me alone. I was kinda glad she had been persistent. I knew I was on edge, very close to a full-out meltdown. I was trying hard to not process what had happened tonight. So what, I had seen Edward and he had seen me, it wasn't that big of a deal, right? Right!?

Maybe if I told myself that often enough, I would believe it.

My apartment wasn't anything noteworthy. It was a small one bedroom apartment, with low rent, in a crappy area of town. It was what it was, but I had done my best to make it my own safe haven. The only problem with the apartment was that it was the same place I had lived in when I had been with Edward. There were a lot of memories here, a lot of good memories. If I could have moved after our breakup, I would have, but I just couldn't financially afford to.

After we broke up, I had done all the usual breakup stuff. I changed my hair. I changed my clothing style. I had even changed my job. Since I couldn't afford to move, I had decorated the entire place the best I could, trying to make it look different. That hadn't really worked. I could still picture him everywhere I looked.

"You need wine," Alice said as soon as I entered my apartment. I made my way over to my couch, throwing myself down on it, as she headed into the kitchen. A few seconds later she came out with a dish towel filled with ice and a glass of rosé wine.

"Thanks," I said as I took them both. I put the dishtowel to my cheek and took a huge gulp of wine. "Well," I muttered, "tonight didn't exactly go to plan."

"No," Alice said softly, as she sat down on the coffee table, watching me. "How are you feeling? I mean apart from the sore face and head."

I shrugged. "I, uh, honestly don't know. I'm trying not to process it all."

Alice nodded. "I still can't believe what happened. The bar went crazy, one minute you were standing next to me and the next you were laid out on the floor. Edward practically appeared out of nowhere. He scooped you up into his arms and took you outside before I could even reach for you."

"Yeah," I sighed, taking another large drink.

"And he apologized. He said that he would never have done that with you in the bar, if he had known it was going down that way. He must have known you were there. Does that mean he knows you've been avoiding him? And what was he even doing with the guy in the cuffs? Didn't you say he was a private investigator?"

"Bond enforcement," I whispered. At least that was what I assumed it was. Edward and I had dated for a year, but I had never actually seen him in action. I had never been to his office. A lot of his work was confidential, which meant he never spoke about it and I never asked. Although, I knew his office provided various services.

"Bond enforcement," Alice said, repeating my words. "Well, all I know is, seeing that shit was hot. I mean, he really knows what he is doing. The guy with him was pretty easy on his eyes too. I can see why you are still cut up about him too, but… I mean, are you sure he was the one to break things off with you because things looked pretty intense back there. If I hadn't stepped in, I'm pretty sure you would have ended up in his bed tonight."

I choked as I took another sip of wine. "Alice," I hissed, "there is no way I would have ended up in his bed. Edward made it perfectly clear to me that we were done. He's not interested in me that way… he was just concerned. There is no need to read into things when there is nothing to read into. We're done. Finished. Over." I sighed, taking another sip.

Alice rolled her eyes. "If you say so… but all I'm trying to say is things might not be as black and white as you think they are. You should talk to him. See what he has to say."

"I don't need to talk to him, Alice. I don't need to see him, ever again. Seeing him tonight, having him touch me, that's going to take weeks to get over. The last thing I need is to talk to Edward or have you fill my head with flimsical ideas. We're over. I've accepted that," I snapped.

"I know," Alice said, looking at me sadly, "but you still love him."

"I know," I whispered, my breathing hitched. I think I would always love him, but sometimes things don't work out the way you wanted them to. Sometimes love went to waste.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Okay, here we go… chapter 2

Thanks to my ladies, Sherry, Paige, Tiffany & Cristina.

And to all of you for the reviews/follows/faves.

 _ **Chapter 2**_ \- _When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep._

It was about three o'clock in the morning, when the next drama in my life took place. I was lying in bed, wide awake, staring up at the ceiling. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. My mind refused to shutdown and allow me to escape.

After Alice had left, with my insistence that I would be fine, I had finished the bottle of wine she had opened and gone to bed. I figured with the amount of alcohol I had drunk, sleeping would have been easy. But it wasn't. I had lain here for hours, tossing and turning. The image of Edward was burned too fresh on my mind. He looked good. Better than I remembered. His bronze hair was in need of a trim, but I liked it that way. I liked it when it was longer. I used to spend hours running my fingers through it. His face wasn't clean shaven either, he had a bit of scruff on it. Again, I liked that rougher look on him. He wore it well. I missed looking at him every day, knowing he was mine. I missed seeing him in his tight tees and cargo pants; the ones that hinted about the hot body that lay beneath. The body I was more than well acquainted with. But most of all, I missed him. I missed him so much it hurt.

Seeing him hadn't done anything to ease that pain, if anything, it only made it harder. Why did he have to save me? Why did he have to appear concerned? Why couldn't he have ignored me? Having him ignore me would have been less painful. It would have been easier to cope with. I didn't have any idea how I was going to get over this new bump in the road.

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking of Edward, there was a thundering bang at the door; followed by several more loud bangs, like someone was trying to kick the door down. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my cell, looking around the room for a weapon to use. That was when I heard my sister, Tia scream. "Bella, open up." She sounded troubled. I forgot all notions of finding a weapon and rushed to my front door, unlocking and throwing it open. Nothing would have prepared me for the sight in front of me. I mean, I was used to Tia, showing up at my door and needing to deal with her shit, but never had it been anything like this. She was covered in blood, but I didn't need to worry whose blood it was because the evidence was on her face. Her lip was burst, her nose was bloody and both her eyes were swollen.

"Oh my God, Tia. What happened?" I asked, staring at her in horror. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into my apartment. I never even gave two thoughts to the trail of blood she had left in the breezeway. I was too caught up in finding out what had happened to her.

"Nothing," she sniffed, as I closed and locked the door.

"Nothing?" I questioned as I looked over her. "It doesn't look like nothing. Tia, have you seen your face? Who did this to you?"

Tia shrugged as she walked over to my couch and sat down. She picked up my wine glass from earlier and drank the dregs from the bottom of the glass. "Do you have any more wine?" Ugh! I wanted to shake her. I probably would have if she wasn't in such a mess. How the hell could she care about wine when she had come to me looking like that?

"No," I snapped. "I don't have any more bloody wine." I left her sitting and marched into the kitchen. I grabbed a cloth and ran it under the tap. I had to get her cleaned up, see how bad the damage was. No, wait. I should probably take her to the hospital, but I couldn't drive. I had too much to drink. She should probably talk to the police as well.

I sighed, turning the tap off and dropping the cloth in the sink. I went back through to the living room and looked at her. Seeing my little sister sitting on my couch with her face busted up, made me want to cry. She was twenty-one, only five years younger than me, but she always acted much younger than her age. I guess that was my fault because I had always been there to take care of her. I had never forced her to stand on her own two feet. Our mother had died from cancer when we were young. So it had just been us and dad. At the time mom had died, he was still a cop, he worked long hours and although we had various babysitters, we never really had anyone stable in our lives. So I had been the one to step up to the plate for Tia, but it didn't really seem to matter what I did to try and provide stability for her. Somewhere along the line I had failed and Tia became this uncaring, selfish person, who only was interested in taking what she could get from others.

"We should go to the hospital," I stated. "I'll call an ambulance. I can't drive. I've had too much to drink. The staff at the hospital will probably call the cops. They'll find out whoever did this to you, Tia."

"No," Tia said, shaking her head. "No hospital. No cops." I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head again. "I only came here, Bella, because I needed somewhere to crash for the night. I'm not interested in having cops meddle in my business."

"What do you mean you're not interested in having cops meddle in your business? Tia! Someone beat you up. Whoever it was deserves to be locked up."

Tia shook her head again. "You don't understand, Bella. It was only a little disagreement with my boyfriend. Everything will be fine again in the morning."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was she insane? "A little disagreement? What the fuck, Tia? A little disagreement is you and me arguing over what movie to watch. Not someone taking their fists to your face. This is not okay. Hitting a woman is never okay, Tia, and I know, you weren't raised like that."

Tia laughed. She actually fucking laughed. "Bella, the world isn't always as black and white as you think it is. I know you like to live in your little bubble and like to pretend it is, but it's not. I'm gray, I live in gray. This," she said, pointing to her face. "Isn't a big deal. It will heal in a few weeks and all will be forgotten. Just go back to bed and sleep. I'll be fine."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Fine. She wouldn't go to the cops. I would bring them to her. She would have no choice, but tell them about this piece of shit that did this. I looked around, wondering where I had left my cell. I knew I had it in my hand when I answered the front door. I eventually found it in the kitchen, sitting next to the sink. As I picked up my cell to call the local police station there was another knock at the door. I set my cell down and walked through to the living room, staring at Tia. I hoped whoever had given her that face hadn't followed her here. Her thoughts must have reflected mine as she stared at the door looking as equally worried as me. "Don't answer it," she whispered.

I said nothing as I quietly walked over to the door to peek through the peephole. There was a man standing on the other side of the door. He was wearing a dark suit and had sandy colored hair. He was staring down the breezeway so I couldn't see his face, but I was pretty sure I didn't recognize him. "What did the man who hurt you look like?" I whispered to Tia.

"Don't answer it," she hissed.

While I was staring at her, the man banged on the door again, giving me a fright and causing me to scream. "Miss?" he shouted, alarmed. "My name is Detective Garrett Pace. Can you please come to the door?"

I looked at Tia again. She shook her head, signaling for me not to answer the door, which was silly because he clearly knew I was here now. He had heard me scream and if he was a detective then I could hardly ignore him. "Can you please put your badge to the peephole?" I asked, wanting to make sure he was who he said he was.

My question seemed to amuse him as his mouth turned up at the corners with a hint of a smile as he unclipped a badge from his belt and held it to the peephole. It looked legit to me. So I unlocked and opened the door. Tia shot straight out of her seat and stared at me. "What are you doing?" I ignored her protest and focused on the man in front of me.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, looking at me and then looking into the apartment to try and see Tia. "One of your neighbors reported a disturbance and a trail of blood leading to your door."

Of course, they had. I motioned for him to come in and closed the door behind him. "My sister was attacked. It's her blood that is all over the breezeway."

"Okay," he said, looking at Tia. "How about I call an ambulance and then you tell me what happened?"

Tia shook her head and folded her arms. "I'm fine." She certainly wasn't fine. Her nose was still bleeding. She was dripping blood all over my apartment and she had to be in a lot of pain. I don't know why she had to be so stubborn and allow us to help her.

Detective Pace didn't acknowledge her response. He merely pulled out his cell and told someone to send an ambulance. Tia wasn't pleased about this. I got the impression she wasn't going to go into the ambulance easily. "What about you?" Detective Pace asked when he had hung up his phone. "What happened to your face?"

I reached for my cheek. I had actually forgotten about it with all the commotion. "It was an accident. I got an elbow to the face in a bar fight." As soon as I said the words, I realized how badly it sounded. Detective Pace apparently found my answer amusing, but never commented on it. He instead turned all his attention to Tia, trying to get her to talk, but she wasn't having any of it.

Two uniformed officers showed up a few minutes after that. I answered the door and let them in. They looked surprised to see Detective Pace here, but they never commented on it. They just stood back and listened to him talking to Tia, who was still refusing to cooperate. She told Detective Pace that she had walked into a door. A door. Yeah, like the man was that stupid. I had no idea who this boyfriend was, since she went through so many. I also had no idea why she was protecting him.

It wasn't long after the arrival of the uniformed officers that Edward appeared. He just walked right into my apartment like he belonged here, past the two officers and Detective Pace and straight to me. None of them said one word to him. None of them even tried to stop him or even question who he was, which I found strange. I could only assume they knew who he was, which made sense considering what he did for a living.

"Are you okay?" he asked, walking up to me and cupping my face, tilting my head until my eyes stared directly into his.

"I'm, um, I'm fine," I said, for lack of a better response. I clutched onto the wrist of his hand that still held my face, staring up at him in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" I asked. I mean it was the middle of the night. How did he know about the call and when had my neighbor even called? They were all here pretty fast. Usually when you needed the police you couldn't find them.

"I heard about the callout to your address. I came as soon as I could."

"You heard about the call? You came as soon as you could?" I asked confused.

"Yeah," Edward replied. He stared at me for a bit and then asked me. "How's your head?"

"It's fine. I'm fine," I said, pushing his hand away. I needed some distance from him as he seemed to be blocking my ability to think.

"What happened to Tia?" he asked, looking over at her and the Detective.

"I don't know. She won't say. Apparently it was her boyfriend. They had a little disagreement. It looks anything but little to me. I just wish she would open her eyes for once and see what she is doing to her life."

Edward said nothing to this, he merely hooked his arm around the back of my neck, pulling me to his side and holding me close. For some strange reason I allowed him to do this. I needed his comfort even though when I found myself alone later it would destroy me.

Detective Pace got zero answers out of Tia and like I had guessed she didn't go quietly into the ambulance. It took a lot of shouting from me and few stern words from Edward before she eventually went in.

After she left, Edward, Detective Pace and the police officers all talked quietly out in the breezeway while I cleaned up the blood in my apartment. I had no idea what they were discussing, but I didn't bother to ask either. When the discussion was over, Edward came back into my apartment and locked the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking between him and the locked door.

"I'm staying the rest of the night with you, Bella."

"Uh, what? You don't need to do that. I'll be perfectly fine on my own." He couldn't stay. What was he thinking? Seeing him twice in one night was more than enough to mess with my mind. Having him stay here wasn't an option. "Plus, I have to go to the hospital to check on Tia."

"Tia will be fine until the morning. I've put a man on her. Now come to bed, Bella. I'm exhausted." He sat down on the couch and began taking his boots off. When he was finished with them, he unfastened his cargo pants and took them off, draping them over the side of the couch. I stood there staring him, too stunned to move. Edward Cullen was standing in my living room half naked. This had to be a dream, or possibly a nightmare.

Edward walked over and grabbed my hand, without another word. He walked me to my bedroom like he had done a million times before. He climbed into bed and lay down on his side, pulling me along with him so that my back was to his front. He then wrapped his arm around me and kissed the back of my head.

It was at that point I figured I must have hit the twilight zone or bumped my head much harder than I had realized. There was no way Edward was lying in my bed, spooning me. There was just no way that was happening.

"Relax, Bella," he whispered into my hair. "Go to sleep."

My mind thought he was crazy, how the hell could I relax when he was lying with me like this? But my body obeyed his command. How could it not when this was where it longed to be? So I melted into Edward's arms and slowly, very slowly, fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks to my ladies, Sherry, Cristina, Paige  & Tiffany xx

Thank you very much for all the reviews/follows/favs

 _ **Chapter 3**_ _\- Could it be worse?_

I woke up the next morning to an empty bed, which wasn't unusual as I woke up to an empty bed every morning these days. It wasn't until I heard Edward's voice filtering through from the other end of my apartment that I realized he was here. Like really here. I hadn't dreamt about lying in his arms, he had actually been here. It was about that point that I remembered the events of last night and then about my sister, Tia. I had to get to the hospital and make sure she was okay.

I also had to get Edward out my apartment and get as far away from him as possible before he truly messed with my head. What had I been thinking, allowing him to stay here? I should have put up more of a fight and refused to allow him to stay. In fact, it was embarrassing that I hadn't really put any sort of resistance. He had locked the door, taken his clothes off and I had practically allowed him to take me to bed. Ugh. I was pathetic.

I sighed, getting out of bed. I headed for the bathroom first, avoiding Edward. I washed my face, which thankfully didn't look as bad this morning. It was red, but it wasn't bruised. I could deal with the redness. Then I brushed my hair, followed by my teeth. I told myself I did this for my benefit and not because Edward was in my apartment. After I did all that, I couldn't spend any more time in the bathroom without looking like I was avoiding Edward, even though I was, so I took a deep breath and headed to my kitchen.

As I passed through the living room, I spotted Edward sitting on my couch, nursing a cup of coffee as he talked on his cell. He was now fully clothed, thank God, which made things a little bit easier. He glanced my way as I passed by, but kept talking on his cell. I didn't acknowledge him. I headed into my kitchen and straight to my coffee machine, which luckily Edward had filled. I poured myself a coffee and added milk and sugar.

By the time I turned around, wondering if I should go into the living room, Edward was standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching me. He was no longer on his cell. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his alert eyes studying me.

"I'm fine," I replied before taking a long drink of my coffee to fill the silence of what I wasn't prepared to say.

"I checked in with my man. Tia hasn't had a great night. She refused to accept treatment, or speak to the police. They had to sedate her. So she is sleeping now, but if you want to get ready, I'll take you down to the hospital so you can see her."

I shook my head. "You don't have to do that. I can make my own way to the hospital. I appreciate you coming over here last night and for everything you have done, but I've got it from here. I know you must have more _important_ things to do." I hadn't intended to sound bitchy. I did appreciate his help, even if I didn't want him here. But at the same time I knew how Edward felt about my family. He didn't like them. He didn't like me helping them, and therefore I was letting him off the hook.

One second Edward was standing at the other end of my small kitchen, the next he was all up in my space. He grabbed the coffee cup from my hands and set it down, before he placed his arms on either side of my waist on the counter, effectively trapping me in. "I don't like your sister. I don't like your family. I don't like the way they use you and I've never hidden that fact from you, but I'm not doing this for her. I'm doing it for you. Your sister has gotten herself into some shit and you need someone in your corner. I am that someone." I opened my mouth to protest, but Edward wasn't done. "Now, I'm gonna take you to the hospital to see your sister, so drink your coffee and get ready. After we've seen your sister, I'll take you out for breakfast and we'll talk. Okay?"

"No," I complained. "No, it's not okay. You don't get to walk in here after a year and order me around." I pushed against his chest, wanting him out of my space, but he wouldn't budge. "Tia is my sister. Tia is my problem. You made it quite clear where you stood a year ago. So, no! No, you don't get to decide what is happening. This is my problem and I'll deal with it my way."

"Babe," Edward said, cupping my good cheek and rubbing the pad of his thumb over it soothingly. "This isn't the kind of problem you can sort. Tia's new boyfriend isn't the sort of person I want you involved with. So whether you like it or not, I'm dealing with this."

I stared at him, or more like glared at him. I didn't like that he was suddenly forcing his way into my life. A year of nothing and suddenly he was now interested. I'm sorry, but that wasn't how it worked. He couldn't just show up here and take over. He didn't have that right. But I also knew that look on his face. He was stubborn and when he said he was going to do something, he was going to do it. Nothing I could say would change his mind. "Fine," I muttered. "You can take me to the hospital, but I'm going to have to take a regain check on breakfast. I've got plans." I didn't of course, but he didn't know that.

Edward smiled at me as he stroked his thumb over my lower lip. "Good girl. Now go and get ready. We'll discuss breakfast after we see your sister."

When he stepped out of my personal space, I wasted no time in getting out of there. I grabbed my coffee and ran through to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I had to force myself into getting ready so I didn't think about what was happening. I would have time to process it later when I was alone, probably over a bottle or wine, or two.

When I was ready, I headed through to the living room. Edward got off the couch without a word and we left my apartment. Of course, we took his car to the hospital. I had wanted to take mine for a quick getaway, but I hadn't bothered arguing about it because I knew I wouldn't win. So, I got in his car without a fight. I figured the less I fought the quicker all this would be over.

Neither of us spoke on the ride to the hospital. Edward seemed lost in his thoughts and I was quite happy to leave him there. Of course, having nothing to distract me meant I had fallen into my own thoughts too. I choose to focus on my sister, rather than Edward. I had no idea what was going on with her. I mean there was usually something going on with her, but things had never been this bad before. She had never been beaten into a bloody pulp with her previous boyfriends. That's not to say they hadn't hit her. They had, just not to this degree. Edward had said he wasn't the sort of guy he wanted me involved with. What did that mean? What sort of guy was he? Also, why was Tia refusing to cooperate? They had to sedate her so they could treat her. That wasn't good. This wasn't the usual sort of Tia trouble.

I realized with everything going on I hadn't contacted my father yet to let him know about Tia, not that I imaged I would have gotten much of a response last night. He was probably lying in an alcohol induced coma. I made a mental note to go see him after Edward dropped me off at home. I would see what kind of state he was in and if he was fit enough, I would bring him to the hospital to see her. After that, I could go home and spend time processing everything with my bottle of wine.

"Ready?" Edward asked, glancing over at me.

I looked up to realize we were at the hospital. I nodded and opened my car door. Edward opened his and rushed around to my side. He didn't look pleased. I assumed it was because I hadn't waited for him to open my door. He liked to do that kind of thing, but the way I saw it we weren't together anymore. I didn't _need_ to wait for him to open my door.

He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me into the hospital. I allowed this because I assumed he knew where he was going, since he had a man watching my sister. It was easier to allow him to take me to her than stand at the reception desk waiting on them searching for her room number. And the sooner we got this over with, the sooner I could be away from him.

I knew the second we arrived at Tia's room because there was a big guy standing outside the door. He was wearing the trademark cargo pants and tight tee that accentuated all his muscles. That and the fact that Edward and he gave each other macho chin lifts. "She still sedated?" Edward inquired, stopping in front of the man.

I didn't wait for the man's reply. I figured I would let them talk and I would go in and see my sister. Edward apparently had other ideas. The second I went to step away, he grabbed the back of my jeans and pulled me back to him. I glared at Edward, but he seemed to find my glare amusing. His man was also grinning.

"Yeah, she's still sedated. They reckon it won't wear off for another hour or two."

Edward nodded. "Jasper, this is Bella. Bella, Jasper."

"Hi," I said, looking up at Jasper, not sure what to say.

"Pleasure to meet you, Bella," he said, grinning down at me. He had a seriously hot smile. As I gazed up at him I noted his other features. He had short brown hair, just long enough for you to run your fingers through. He had a beard too, but it wasn't the messy kind, it was well maintained, like he spent a lot of time trimming it to perfection. He also had the most beautiful green eyes.

"If you're done eyeing up Jasper, we'll go and see your sister, yeah?" Edward's sharp voice snapped through my Jasper daze.

I turned to him, surprised. One, because I had been eyeing up Jasper, but I hadn't intentionally done it, and two, because he sounded extremely pissed off. I opened my mouth to defend myself and then shut it. Jasper seemed to find the entire thing amusing, Edward not so much. Instead of replying, I turned and headed into my sister's room.

Tia's face looked even more swollen, if that was possible, since I had last seen her, but thankfully all the blood had been cleaned away. Her bloody clothes had been removed and she was now wearing a hospital gown. I hated seeing her like this. I hated that things had gotten this bad. I walked over to her bed and took her hand in mine as tears filled my eyes. What was it going to take for her to wake up and realize that this shit she was doing was only going to end one way? Who the hell was the guy who had done this shit and why was she protecting him?

Edward walked over to me and pulled me to his arms, so that my side was resting against his chest, but I was still able to hold her hand. "It's going to be okay, Bella," he said softly.

I glanced up at him, seeing that his anger from earlier has dissipated. "I just wish she would pull her head out of her ass and get her act together. The next time I could be visiting her in a morgue instead of a hospital." At the thought of seeing her cold, dead body I broke into sobs. Edward pulled me tighter against his chest. I let go of Tia's hand and turned into him, clutching onto his t-shirt. I knew I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't allow him to comfort me. It would only make things harder for me later on, but at this moment in time I needed him.

So, I allowed him to hold me as I cried into his chest. I allowed myself to forget that we had broken up and I had been through the year from hell. I allowed myself to forget that I missed him and pretended that, in this moment in time, everything would be okay. Everything would work out. Somehow.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you to my ladies, Cristina, Paige, Sherry & Tiffany.

Sorry! Life has been crazy busy lately, with no room to write. Hopefully things will calm down soon xx

 **Chapter 4** \- _When you're too in love to let it go._

"Your sister is dating someone called Caius Volturi," Edward said as he shovelled eggs into his waiting mouth. Apparently I had lost the argument of going to breakfast as I was currently sitting across the table from him in the Waffle House. I wasn't certain how we had actually gotten here. The last thing I remembered was losing my composure beside Tia's bedside and finding comfort in Edward's arms. God… how I had missed his arms, his warmth, his touch. He certainly wasn't making any of this easier for me. I wasn't sure how I was going to hold myself together this time when he disappeared again. "And as your sister's boyfriends go, this one is definitely her worst yet. He's not a nice guy, Bella. He is involved in a lot of shady stuff. Shit I don't even want to tell you about, but I figure if I tell you, then maybe you'll listen to me for once."

"What kind of shady stuff?" I inquired, pushing my eggs around my plate. I wasn't sure if it was the topic of conversation, or my sister's latest drama, or even the fact that Edward was sitting across from me, but I found my appetite severely lacking.

"Drug distribution, human trafficking, to name a few," he said eyeing me cautiously.

"And you know all of this because?" I asked, trying not to process the fact that my sister was mixed up with some sort of crime lord. How the hell had she even met him? Did she know what he did? Did she even care? I guess she did, since she had been so reluctant to talk to the cops. No wonder she hadn't wanted to call them. I didn't imagine her _boyfriend_ took kindly to people around him talking to the cops.

So what would happen to her now? Would she be in even more danger? Would he suspect that she had talked to the cops? Had she seen things that she could use against him? Would he try to silence her? God, I really didn't want to go down that line of thought. I couldn't… I had no idea how I would get Tia out this mess. I think it's beyond my capabilities.

"It's my job to know," Edward said, drawing my attention back to him. That was true. Investigating was what he did for a living, but Tia had only shown up on my doorstep last night. I didn't even know she had a new boyfriend. She hadn't even told me his name. So how did he know where to look? How had he found out all of this information so quickly? "We haven't been together for a year Edward-" I started to say, confused.

"That is true," he said, cutting me off, "but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping tabs, Bella. I know what has been going on in your life, your family's life. You've been avoiding me, but that doesn't mean I've been avoiding you. You needed space. I understood that. I gave it to you, but as of now, that space ends. I won't allow you to push me away any longer, not while you could be in danger."

"I haven't been a avoiding you," I muttered, although I clearly had. I just wasn't ready to admit that to him. I choose to focus on his accusation, rather than everything else he had said, and the possible meaning behind his words.

"Yeah?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow at me. He set his fork down on his plate, giving me his full attention. "So, when I enter somewhere and you leave soon after, what exactly do you call that?" He had me there, but I wasn't willing to admit defeat. I stared down at my hands to avoid answering him. "You've been avoiding me," he stated. "It's okay. We broke up. I get it, but as of now we're no longer on a break. I'm done waiting for you to get your head straight."

I glared at him, feeling the heat of my anger crawl up every inch of my body until I was sure my face turned flaming red. "You don't get to decide that, Edward. You don't get to just decide that we are over being over and then expect me to fall in line. That isn't how relationships work." I stood up, scraping my chair back as I went. It made a huge scratching noise, drawing the attention of the other customers. But I was too occupied in my anger to notice that I was causing a scene.

I grabbed my things and turned to leave, but before I managed to move away from the table, Edward caught my wrist. "Sit down, Bella," he ordered. He said the words calmly, softly, but there was no denying the demand in his voice. Edward had always been this way, 'commanding', which both infuriated and turned me on at the same time. Well, at least it used to. Right now it was just pissing me off.

I yanked my wrist free from his hold as I glowered down at him, giving him my best death stare. I wanted him to know how mad I was right now. I wanted him to get the message and just leave me alone, but no matter how much effort I put into that stare, he seemed completely unaffected. I guess I was out of practice. So I decided to add some words for a better effect. "I see time hasn't made you any less of an asshole." With that I turned on my heels and marched out of the Waffle House as fast as I could. Although, I silently knew that wouldn't be the end of this argument. Walking away from Edward was never easy.

To say we fought often in the past would be an understatement. His bossy and domineering nature got on my nerves sometimes, but when we fought it was never nasty. In fact, I think we both enjoyed the fighting part. The makeup sex was certainly fun, but I couldn't think of that right now. That wasn't what was going on here.

I barely made it out the door before I felt his presence behind me. He grabbed my elbow as I walked down the steps and began guiding me toward his car. I tried to resist, at least I think I did. My mind and body were so conflicted with what they wanted. My mind wanted to protect me. My body wanted him. "You know," Edward said, leaning into me as he spoke softly into my ear. "I am the same person I was a year ago. I don't recall you thinking I was an asshole then. In fact you seemed to more than enjoy my controlling nature. Especially when I used my belt to tie-"

"Yeah," I snapped, knowing exactly what he was going to say and I didn't need those images in my head. "You're the same person, Edward, but did you ever stop to think that maybe that's the problem?" I was doing my best to push him away, but he didn't seem willing to budge.

When we reached his car, Edward spun me around. He pushed my back against the side of the car and used his hips to pin me into place as his hands landed gently on my waist. He was too close. His presence was too overpowering. I could feel his fingers flexing on my hips, his breath on the side of my neck. My body danced with excitement as it recalled his expert fingers, his luscious lips and the skills they posed to make it feel alive. I wanted him. I wanted nothing more than to lean in and claim his mouth, but my mind screamed at me to remain still. It was the only part of me that was still sane.

"I love you, Bella," Edward said as he reached up and gently stroked my face. His words caught me off guard. "I've been in love with you since the moment we met. Not loving you was never part of the reason we broke up. You know that." I did know that or at least I had known. Time had a way or twisting and contorting memories and feelings. It was hard at times to remember what was true and what my mind had conjured up.

"When I left…," he said, breaking into my thoughts, "you never asked me to stay. You never fought me. You just accepted that I was leaving. You have no idea how much that hurt me. For once I wanted you to choose me. For once I just wanted you to put your own happiness, our happiness before your family's bullshit… Bella, I wanted you to choose me."

Unwanted tears filled my eyes as his words struck me with such a brute force. It had been so easy to blame him for walking away, but he was right. I hadn't put up any resistance. Was I partly to blame for everything that had happened? For the year I'd spent in hell? If I hadn't avoided him, would we still be apart? I shook my head as I pushed against his chest. I didn't want to think about the 'what ifs' and the fact that he was more than likely right.

My tears were now falling freely down my face as that all familiar pain in my chest throbbed. I pushed against him again, but he refused to budge or let me go. I wanted nothing more than to run away from him. I wanted to run and keep on running until running was all I thought about. I couldn't bare the possibility that I could be partly to blame. "Please," I begged. "Don't. Just stop."

"No," Edward said firmly as he grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. "I love you. I know this year hasn't been easy on you, but it hasn't been easy for me either. When you started avoiding me there was nothing I wanted more than to grab you and shake some sense into you. I wanted you to see what you were throwing away. Bella," he choked, his own voice filled with emotion. "How could you throw us away so easily?"

"I didn't," I cried. I tried to shake my head, wanting more than anything to look away from him, but that option had been taken away from me. I was forced to stare into his face and see the truth of his words, the emotional turmoil on his face. "You were the one that walked away, Edward," I whispered. "I loved you and you walked away. You left me."

"I know," he sighed, leaning his forehead against me. "And there isn't a second in the day that I don't regret walking away. I just never expected you to let me go. I never expected you not to put up a fight. I never expected you to choose them over us."

"It wasn't a matter of choosing, Edward," I said, lifting my own hands to the side of his head, holding his forehead against mine. "They're my family, they need me. I can't turn my back on them."

"Not even when helping them affects your own happiness? Not even when helping them consumes your own life? They're adults Bella. They'll never learn to stand on their own two feet if you don't let them. They use you as a crutch, emotionally, physically and financially because you allow them to. You deserve to live your own life. You deserve to be happy. God knows I want to give you that."

"I can't… I won't turn my back on them," I said, shaking my head.

"Even if that means sacrificing your own happiness?"

"Even then," I sighed, closing my eyes.

Edward sighed too. "Then I guess if you won't fight for your own happiness, someone else has to. That someone is going to be me."

I pulled my head away from his and looked up at him. "I can't go back there again, Edward," I protested. I couldn't. What if I let him back in and my family got too much for him again? What if he decided to walk away again? It would destroy me.

Edward cupped my face, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away my tears. "Do you still love me, Bella?" he asked, tenderly.

"Yes," I whispered. I didn't even have to think about my answer. I knew I loved him. I knew I would always love him, but was loving him enough?

"Then don't we owe it to ourselves to try and see where this goes? God knows we haven't been happy this past year. We've both made mistakes and we've both been unhappy with those mistakes. So why don't we try again? See where this goes. I won't make you false promises. I have no idea what lies ahead for either of us, but I promise not to walk away from you again, not without talking to you first. I've learned that lesson.

"I love you, Bella. I want you to be happy. I want to give you that happiness. All I am asking is for a chance."

I wanted nothing more than to say yes, but self-preservation stopped me from giving him the answer he wanted. I was too scared to give him my heart when he had already broken it, but the truth was, he already had my heart. He always would. I just wasn't ready to voice what my heart, body and soul already knew. Edward seemed to sense that because he never pushed me for an answer. He leaned down and kissed my head before stepping away from me and opening the car door. "Let's get you home."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thank you to Paige, Sherry, Cristina & Tiffany for all that they do.

I'm sorry I did start this one last weekend, but didn't get it complete till now. Life is just chaos right now.

Still working on a PTMD update. Hopefully it won't be too long.

Have a great 4th of July weekend to everyone that is celebrating xx

 **Chapter 5 - Part 1** \- _Stuck in reverse_

When Edward dropped me off at my apartment, he left me with strict instructions not to go anywhere. If I needed to go out, I was to call him first. He would either come get me or send someone over. I was not to -under any circumstances- go anywhere alone. He'd been incredibly serious when he reiterated all this to me. I, however, thought he was being overly dramatic. Sure, my sister's new boyfriend wasn't someone I wanted to meet, but Tia was in hospital and not with me. It wasn't like this man would suddenly come and hunt me down. If he were going to go anywhere, it would be to the hospital to find Tia, and I didn't need to worry about her because Edward had a guard on her. A guard I was sure was more than capable of protecting her.

So, instead of worrying about Tia, her new boyfriend, or overthinking my conversation with Edward from the Waffle House; I got changed, got in my car and headed to my father's house. I knew I needed to check on my dad. God knows he needed someone checking in on him. I also needed to fill him in on what was happening with Tia. I wasn't sure how he would react to the news. I knew I should have told Edward I planned to visit my father. It would have been the sensible thing to do. Well, I suppose it would've been if I truly believed I was in danger, but the fact of the matter is I didn't tell him because I was worried he would insist on coming with me and I didn't want that to happen because I knew how he felt about my father. I also needed some distance from him so I could breathe, and try to figure what was going on in my head. I knew there wouldn't be any chance of me gathering my thoughts when he was around. His presence was too consuming.

I was on my way over to my father's when my cell phone rang. I answered it without glancing at the screen, presuming it was Alice because she was the only one who called me these days. I never once thought it would be Edward. I guess I should've taken the time to look at the screen.

"I thought I told you not to leave your apartment." Edward's tone was clipped. I knew straight away that he was pissed at me for leaving my apartment without telling him I was going out, but what did he honestly expect? Did he think he could just walk back into my life, declare his feelings and expect me to fall in line?

"You did," I stated, glancing in my rear-view mirror, wondering how he knew I'd left my apartment. Did he have someone watching me, following me or had he put a GPS tracker on my car?

"Why didn't you listen to me then?" he asked.

"I did listen to you, Edward. I just chose not to follow your advice."

"It wasn't advice," he snapped. "Bella, this isn't a game. You can't just stick your head in the sand and ignore what is happening around you. This shit is serious. I trusted you to stay at your apartment."

"Just like I trusted you not to break my heart… We both know how that turned out." I covered my mouth with my hand, shocked by my own words. I hadn't meant to be bitchy, but sometimes he irritated me so much I couldn't control my own mouth.

Edward sighed. I could picture him pulling at his hair, seeking patience. "I thought we'd been over this this morning. I'm sorry I hurt you, Bella. It wasn't my intention and like I said you weren't the only one hurting, but just because you are hurting doesn't mean you should act stupid. Now is not the time to be reckless."

I growled into the phone in frustration. "How exactly am I acting stupid or being reckless? Because I haven't informed you of my every move? Because I didn't ask you for permission to leave my apartment?" I yelled, not waiting for his reply before continuing my rant. "Well, I've got news for you Edward, I don't ever intend to seek permission from you, or inform you of my whereabouts. And _if_ I choose, and let me tell you that's a big if, to let you let you back into my life then that is never going to change. And as of right now, the chances of you ever being part of my life again are between fairly slim to never going to happen."

I hit the 'end call' button without giving him a chance to respond. I took a deep, shuddering breath to steady myself. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to cry. He wasn't worth it. I wiped the corners of my eyes, wiping away tears I wasn't willing to acknowledge before taking another deep breath. I could just about ignore the tears, but it was pretty hard to ignore the deep ache in my chest.

Edward called back several times after I hung up, but I ignored each one of his calls. I didn't want to talk to him right now. I was too angry, too upset and I'd probably later regret saying half the things I said to him. It wasn't like I didn't know this controlling, dominant side of him existed. No, that wasn't the part of him I had the problem with. It was the fact he had showed up out of nowhere and wanted to be nack in my life. Where was he a year ago, six months ago or even a month ago?

If being apart from me had hurt him so much, then why hadn't he come back sooner? Why hadn't he forced his way back in and made me listen to him? He could have, if he had wanted to. No, something wasn't adding up here. I refused to believe his fancy words. There was more going on here than he was saying. The timing was off. He hadn't been interested in me until the shit went down with Tia. Was that what this was? Was Tia's boyfriend the reason he was back in my life? Was he someone Edward had an interest in? Would he get street cred for bringing down a drug lord? Yeah, well, if that was the case he could find some other way to catch this guy. I wasn't about to allow him to use me or my family.

-IWT-

When I arrived at my father's house, I was a mess. I could have easily gone home and sat down with a glass of wine, a tub of ice cream and cried, but I knew I had to take care of my family. I had to let my dad know about Tia, and then I probably needed to take him to see her, depending on what kind of state he was in. Hopefully this would be one of his good days and when we got to the hospital Tia would be awake so I could get some answers out of her. Maybe even talk some sense into her. The latter was doubtful, but one could hope.

I turned the engine off, reached over to the passenger side to grab my purse and opened my door. I barely managed to get one foot on the driveway before someone approached me, blocking my exit. At first, as my eyes adjusted against the sun's glare, all I could see was this large figure looming over me and my thoughts immediately went to this Caius. Had he sent someone after me?

As my eyes began to adjust I realized it was the man from Two Doors Down, the one who had been with Edward. He was obviously the reason Edward knew I'd left my apartment. He had to have been following me. A quick glance behind my car confirmed my thoughts. His black SUV was blocking me in. I'd clearly been too lost in my own thoughts to notice he'd been tailing me.

"Edward wants you to wait in the car," he said, drawing me from my thoughts.

"Excuse me?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. Edward expected me to wait in my car for him to arrive? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I was going to visit my father without him and I didn't care how he felt about that. His feelings didn't figure into the equation.

"I said Edward wants you to wait in the car."

"No, I heard that bit. I just don't understand the part where you expect me to give a shit about what Edward wants." I felt so angry, so frustrated. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or punch something, possibly both at the same time. How dare he tell me what to do! How dare he come between me and my family! How dare he send his man after me, telling me what to do! "As far as I'm concerned, you can tell Edward to go fuck himself."

I took a step forward, determined to get away from Edward's man as quickly as I could, but he only took a small step back, keeping me trapped between him and the door. "I think you should tell him that yourself when he gets here."

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I didn't plan on seeing Edward. I planned to be in my father's house, with the doors and windows locked, long before he got here. I took another step forward, but this time he didn't take a step back like I had hoped. I didn't think he had any intention of letting me past him.

If he wasn't going to move out of my way, I was going to have to make him move. I put my hands on his chest, which under normal circumstances might have felt impressive. This guy had pecs of steel and clearly worked out a lot, but these weren't normal circumstances. So, I ignored the feel of his muscles under my hand and pushed him as hard as I could, but he didn't budge. I had a feeling it would have been more effective if I had tried to move the car with my bare hands. "Move," I growled.

"I'm sorry," he smirked, "I can't."

"You can, you're just being difficult," I cried, exasperated. I pushed against his chest again, and when that didn't work, I began slapping and punching him out of frustration. I screamed and screamed for him to move out my way. I didn't want to see Edward, I couldn't.

It was around that time, when I was losing my shit, that he took a pair of cuffs out of his cargo pants. He grabbed my wrist and shoved me back toward the driver's seat, forcing me to sit down. He slapped a cuff around my wrist and the other one onto the steering wheel before I even knew what was happening. When I was secure he took a step back, though this time there wasn't any sign of amusement on his face.

"Did you just cuff me?" I asked in utter disbelief, pulling at the cuffs, looking for any sign of weakness.

"You were being difficult," he stated, repeating my words from earlier, "and I didn't want you hurting yourself."

"I was being difficult?" I scoffed. "You were the one who was stopping me from leaving my car!" Tears began streaming down my face as I rattled the cuffs. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of seeing Edward, especially when I knew I'd pissed him off. I needed time to prepare myself before I saw him again. I needed time to figure out what I was going to say. I didn't want to see him like this. "Please, just let me go."

"I'm sorry I can't."

"Why can't you?" I protested.

"Boss's orders."

"Do you enjoy picking on people who are weaker than you? Does it make you feel good?" I asked, glaring at him.

"I'm only doing my job," he said as he folded his arms.

"Uh, no offense, but maybe you should think about finding another job."

"I'll keep that in mind," he smirked.

"Good," I said, "Now will you please uncuff me?" I wasn't above begging if it meant I would be safely locked in the house before Edward came.

"No."

"If you uncuff me now, then I won't call the cops on your ass as soon as I am free to have you arrested for kidnapping. You know the crime for holding someone against their will?"

"I can't."

"Uncuff me now," I growled.

"No."

God, this guy was infuriating. He was lucky he wasn't within my reach because I was sure I would claw his eyes out right now if I could. "You know, I don't even know you, but I _really_ don't like you."

"That's a shame," he smiled, "because I think you're pretty hot."

"Are you hitting on me?" I scoffed.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"Is it working?"

"No, it is not working, you moron! I don't get off on strange men cuffing me to steering wheels." I couldn't believe the shit I was hearing. I didn't think my day could get any worse, but then I saw a very furious Edward pull up in his car and I knew things certainly could get a lot worse. They were just about to.


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2

**A/N:** Thanks to my ladies, Sherry, Paige, Tiffany & Cristina. This chapter was unreadable before them!

I finally managed to get a PTMD written. It's with my ladies.

I will work away at TTTB next.

 **Chapter 5** - **Part 2** \- _Stuck in reverse_

"Handcuffs?" Edward asked as he approached us, eyeing the cuffs that currently locked me to the steering wheel. His face was unreadable. I wasn't sure if he was unhappy that his man cuffed me or not. Though I knew from previous experience he, himself enjoyed tying me up.

"Yeah…" he said, looking over at Edward. "She wasn't keen on the idea of waiting for you. She got a little angry, so I restrained her to keep her from hurting herself."

I scoffed at his words. I was more than a 'little angry'. I'd been extremely pissed off. I still was. They had no right to restrain me like this. If I didn't want to see Edward, then I shouldn't have to.

Edward nodded, accepting his answer. "Thanks, Emmett. I'll take it from here." They shook hands, did a little fist pump and some badass macho shit and then Emmett was gone.

"So," Edward said, turning his attention to me. "Are you ready to talk?"

I glared at him as he moved closer, blocking my only exit. Not that I could go anywhere until he removed the cuffs. My glare merely earned me a smile, which just added to my level of anger. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his face, but while I was still cuffed there was nothing I could do. So, I put on my fakest smile and asked "Aren't you going to take these off?"

"No," Edward said, shaking his head. "I like seeing you like this, and anyway…when you're like this, at least I know you can't run when things begin to get too uncomfortable."

"Things are already uncomfortable," I muttered, which earned me a grin. "Ugh. You're such an ass, you know that, right? You can't keep me locked up like this."

"Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go see your dad?" Edward asked, crouching in front of me.

I sighed because from the look on his face, he truly had expected me to tell him if I wanted to go somewhere. Maybe I would have done that before, kept him informed of my whereabouts or when I would be home, etc. Not that he had forced me to do that. I just knew he was more comfortable knowing where I was. Edward liked to be in control and that hadn't bothered me in the slightest. Actually giving up my control to someone else had been rather comforting. It felt good to let someone else take the lead, but that had been before. Before he had walked away from me. From us.

"I didn't tell you because I don't need to report to you, Edward. You don't own me. If I want to go and see my dad, then that's what I will do."

Edward sighed. "I told you it wasn't safe, Bella. I thought you had more sense than that. I get that you are pissed at me, but you have to start using your head. You have to start thinking."

"Visiting my dad isn't safe?" I scoffed.

"Being out in the open on your own isn't safe," he clarified. "And honestly, if something were to happen to you here, what exactly would your dad do to keep you safe?"

"Ugh. See?" I said, gesturing toward him. "That right there is the reason I didn't want you to come with me. You don't like him and you have no problem in letting me or anyone know that fact. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you there judging him. You act like he is the biggest scum of the earth, but what you seem to forget is that he was once a cop. He's done a lot of good in his life. He's helped a lot of people. Okay, so his wife died and he slipped after that. His world came crashing down and it broke him. You can't judge him for that. No one can."

Edward shook his head in aggravation and stood up. "Yes, I can. I can judge him for that because he wasn't the only one left behind, Bella. He had two daughters to look after. Those two daughters who also lost their mother, but instead of being there for them, he let himself drown. He let himself wallow in his misery and left them to fend for themselves. So while he was doing that, who was looking after you? Who was looking after Tia? Who was providing you with warm meals? Doing the housework and providing all those other things a child needs?"

In the beginning, we had babysitters. Neighbors who volunteered to look after the poor Swan girls who had lost their mother while our dad worked all the hours he could get. It was easier for him to throw himself into his work, than face two children at home who reminded him of his deceased wife. Eventually the overtime was replaced by alcohol and the babysitters came less and less, until no one came around at all. Dad had used all their generosity up. That was when I fully stepped into my mother's shoes. I tried to hold our family together and I'd been trying ever since. "Me," I mumbled. "I was the one who did the shopping, cooked the meals and kept on top of the housework, the best I could. I did my best to give Tia a normal life."

"Why were you forced to step into your mother's shoes, Bella?" he asked, but he never gave me time to reply. "Because your father failed you. Rather than stepping up to the plate and being there for you both, he allowed himself to fall into a bottle. Christ, Bella. You were a kid. You should have been outside playing, getting dirty and just being a kid. You should've never been forced to take on the role of protector or provider. You've been doing it so long it's ingrained in you. You can't let go, not even when you know they are beyond saving."

Edward was right. I didn't want to admit he was right, but he was. I'd been outside my father's house for at least half an hour now. Most of that time I'd been screaming and shouting and not once had he come outside to see what was going on or if I was okay. I knew the reason he hadn't was because he was probably lying somewhere in a drunken coma, too spaced out of his mind to even know I was here. The truth stung, and it left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

"You're right, Edward," I sobbed. "Is that what you want to hear? My father is a good for nothing drunk. He hasn't been there for me for most of my life and my sister is a selfish bitch who thinks the world owes her something. She's out to take whatever she can get. Does it make you feel better knowing you're right?" I screamed, but he never answered me.

"What would you have me do?" I cried. "Would you have me give up on them? Leave them to self-destruct? Leave them to destroy themselves? Because that's what will happen, and you know it's true. They'll destroy themselves until there is nothing left. Their death will be on me. I'll have their blood on my hands." I lifted my hands as far as the cuff allowed, staring at them as if I could already see the blood there. I couldn't handle the thought of losing them.

"Shhh," Edward said, closing the space between us. He kneeled down in front of me and pulled my head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pushing you. I know they mean a lot to you and that's part of the reason I walked away. I just can't stand to see them hurt you. They take so much of your time and energy. You're willing to give them so much and yet you take so little for yourself. You deserve better. I know you don't want to lose them, but they need to learn to stand on their own two feet. They need to learn how to stop leaning on you."

He uncuffed my hand, gently rubbing where the cuff had been chafing against my skin as he placed my hand against his chest. I could feel the beat of his heart under my palm, it helped soothe me. He helped soothe me. As much as I wanted to stay angry at him, I couldn't. He was too confusing. I wanted to push him away and protect my heart, but at the same time I wanted to pull him closer, and never let go. Why couldn't life ever be simple?

"C'mon," he said, helping me to my feet when I finally settled down. "Let's go see your dad."

I didn't bother arguing with him. I knew I'd probably need what little strength I had left to face what I was going to find inside. Edward closed my car door, and I led the way into the house, with him close behind me. He never touched me as we walked, yet I could still feel his presence behind me. It was empowering.

My dad's front door led straight into the living room. He lived in a duplex house. It was our family home. I found him asleep on the couch as I had suspected. He had his arm over his face as he lay there snoring. The sight of him infuriated me, especially when I took in the mess around him. I had already cleaned up this mess at the start of the week. I'd come over straight from work. I lectured him about his careless disregard for hygiene when I'd cleaned it and he promised not to let it get in the same state again, but looking around at the sight of beer cans, cigarette ashes and half eaten food, you would've never known I'd been here.

"Dad," I hissed as I marched over to him, but he didn't move or reacted to my voice. Like I'd thought, he was in an alcohol-induced coma. I shoved his arm a little, trying to wake him up, and when that didn't work I began to violently shake him, taking all my frustration out on him. I couldn't believe he was lying here drunk out of his of mind while his daughter was lying in the hospital injured. Well, actually I could believe it, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

My dad practically jumped out of his skin as I shook him. He threw his arm back and lunged up on the sofa, looking around him, dazed and confused. He took in Edward's presence - who was still standing on the other side of the room - before looking at me. "Bella, what are you doing here? What time is it?"

I moved to give him some space to sit up, and the first thing he did was swing his legs off the sofa and grab a can of beer, taking a drink as he reached for his cigarette pack. "Is something wrong?" he asked when I didn't answer his previous question. "And why is he here?" he said, nodding toward Edward. "I thought the two of you broke up."

I sighed, taking the can out of his hand and throwing his cigarette away before he could even light it. I sat down on the coffee table in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. "Dad, Tia's in hospital."

"Do what?"

"Tia is in hospital. She came to my apartment in the middle of the night. She'd been badly beaten. She wouldn't let me call the cops, but luckily one of the neighbors had called them. She refused treatment. She won't talk to anyone. They had to sedate her."

He sighed, sitting back on the sofa and running his hand through his hair. "Do they know who did it?"

"Her boyfriend," Edward said, stepping forward. "Caius Volturi."

"Volturi as in the Volturi family?" my dad asked in disbelief.

"The very same."

"Shit," my dad said, shaking his head. "What the hell is she doing messed up with the likes of him?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered it all the same. "I have no idea, but you can ask her when she wakes up. Do you want to go and see her?"

"Yeah, just let me get my shoes," he said, standing up, swaying on his feet.

"No, Dad," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "You stink of beer and cigarette smoke. You need to shower and put on clean clothes before we go anywhere."

"Shower," he said, nodding. "Yeah, right, okay. I'll go shower. Give me five."

He headed upstairs and I turned to survey the mess once again, taking a deep, shuddering breath. I had no idea how he could live like this. I keep hoping he'll get better. That if I give him time, he'll change. He'll pull himself together, but the truth was, he was never going to change.

I went into the kitchen which was adjoined to the living room. I grabbed a trash bag from beneath the sink before returning to the living room to begin picking up the mess. "What are you doing?" Edward asked, stilling my hands.

"I have to keep busy," I answered, pulling away from his hold, not even daring to look up at him for fear I would crack.

"Bella," he said, reaching for me again, but I shook my head.

"Please, Edward, don't. I can't… If I don't keep busy then I'll just think about everything… like how my father isn't going to change. Or like the fact that you only had to say the Volturi and my dad knew who you were talking about." I paused, looking up at him. "This is bad, isn't it? Is Tia messed up with the mob or something?"

Edward took the trash bag out of my hands and dropped it to the floor, before turning me to face him. He cupped my face with both of his hands and stared into my eyes. "It's bad," he agreed. "The Volturi family runs a crime syndicate. It's possible that Tia has seen or heard something that she shouldn't have. There's no telling the lengths they will go to keep her quiet, which is why I don't want you wandering off on your own. It's not safe."

"Okay. I, uh, I just… it's a lot to process. You, Tia, my dad, everything."

"I know," he said, pulling me into his arms, and holding me tight against his chest. We both stood there silently, taking comfort from each other. Neither of us spoke or moved until the sound of my dad's footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. That was when I pulled away from him like a teenager who had just been caught kissing her boyfriend.

"You ready?" my dad asked as he came into the living room. He was freshly showered and he'd combed his hair, but he still needed a good shave. His skin had a tint of yellow to it and his eyes were bloodshot. There was not much I could do about that, but at least he wasn't going to the hospital stinking of alcohol.

"Yeah, let's go," I replied.

We all began to move toward the front door when Edward's cell rang. I glanced at him, but continued to follow my dad out the door. It wasn't until I heard Edward speak that I stopped dead in my tracks. "What do you mean she's gone?" _Gone? Who was gone_ , I thought as I looked at him, but I knew the answer by the way he was staring at me, he was talking about my sister. Tia was gone. The question was how? Had someone taken her?


End file.
